Holiday Itinerary
Join tour in Marrakech. Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
Complimentary airport transfers are provided for clients arriving on this day.
- Day 2: Marrakech – Tichka pass - Zagora - Ouled Driss.
Setting off after breakfast we travel by comfortable minibus across the high atlas via the highest road pass in Morocco Tichka pass 2260m. on the other side of the mountains we descend to Ouarzazate where we enter the Draa valley, the largest palm grove in the country, stretching for more than 100km along the banks of the Draa river. We pass through Agdez , Zagora and Tagounit to reach Ouled Driss on the edge of the Sahara desert. This is a full day drive, but we are rewarded with some fantastic and ever-changing scenery. Tonight we stay in a fixed camp of traditional Berber tents or “Khaymas” which have been upgraded with certain western comforts such as hot showers.
6 hrs drive / 1 hrs walk / camping / Meals: B, L, D
- Day 3 : Ouled Driss - El mazouaria dunes - Oued Naam
Loading our camels we head west into the desert. The palm groves of the Draa Valley gradually disappear and are replaced by dunes. On this first day the dunes are very small as we begin to penetrate the Sahara. The Sahara desert stretches from the snowy mountains of the High Atlas in the west to the Red Sea coast almost 5000kms to the east. Most of the landscape has been shaped over time by the winds, and it includes sand dunes (Ergs), barren stone plateaux, gravel plains, dry valleys, salt flats and mountain ranges. The area we will explore is home to semi-nomadic Ait Atta Berber people, who have lived in the area for centuries, before the Arab and Islaamic influences arrived in the 7th century. We have lunch in the shade of a Tamarisk tree near the small dunes of El Mazouaria. After a long lunch break we continue to our campsite which is situated at the famous well of Oued Naamou. Camping by the well gives us the luxury of a wash tonight. We set up camp at the edge of the dunes for the night. From the top of the dunes, the sunset is an incredible sight. Sunsets, sunrises and the stars at nights are the true delights of desert travel.
6 hrs walk / camping / Meals: B, L, D
- Day 4 : Oued Naam - Erg Bouguerne
Today the true desert begins as we become immersed in the sand dunes and the vast stony plains that the desert is famous for. We pass by our first dune, Erg Oued Naam, nearby an area of Tamarisk trees. A small hill called Jebel Bani ensures that we travel in the correct direction here as we head further west. Again we catch up with the cook and the camels who are preparing lunch for us in the shade of a tree. We start with our mint tea and then enjoy a relaxed lunch, with maybe some time to read our books or have a little siesta! Continuing on we pass through further dunes and the rocky plateaux towards the large Erg Bouguerne where we camp for the night.
5 hrs walk / camping / Meals: B, L, D
- Day 5: Erg Bouguerne - Fom Laalag source - Erg Chigaga
We enjoy our breakfast in the sunshine in the dunes and pack up for another days walking. Today we find ourselves in a large wadi (valley), Wadi Laatch with giant Tamarisk trees before crossing large rocky plain and further dunes to a sacred source of water at Fom laalag. This oasis in the desert has palm trees and deserted villages as people have moved away for a better life with amenities. We stop for lunch and have a chance to look around this special place. After our break we continue for approximately another 2 hours and arrive at the foot of our destination the dunes of Chigaga and our camp location.
6 hrs walk / camping / Meals: B, L, D
- Day 6: Erg Chigaga - Erg Lghoul
We have a full day exploring this famous dune here in the Moroccan Sahara desert. We travel up and down experiencing the different colours, shades and ripples that the sand produces. These dunes move constantly and each time we visit the sands will have changed shape and sizes. To walk to the summit of the biggest dune takes around an hour, about 200m vertical height gain. We head northwards towards Bani and the sharp peaked dunes of El Ghoul. It’s very peaceful here and we feel very remote. We set up camp in the middles of the large dunes for the last night.
5 hrs walk / camping / Meals: B, L, D
- Day 7 : Erg Lghoul - Zawyat Sidi Abdnbi - Marrakech
After an early breakfast we to the road head at Zawyat Sidi Abdenbi, which takes around 40 mins. Here we meet our vehicles and we drive back across the Atlas to Marrakech arriving here in the late afternoon. We check into our hotel and after showering and changing we will certainly want to check out the remarkable central square of the Djemaa-el-Fna. This is the focus of activities for local people and tourists alike and here you will see troupes of Berber acrobats, musicians, snake-charmers, water sellers and story tellers.
1 hrs walk / 5 hrs drive / Hotel / Meals: B, L
- Day 8 : The end of the tour
Transfer to the Marrakech airport.
Flight back home.
